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From Chopin to tangos and waltzes, "An Evening of Polish Music" will celebrate the rich (and sometimes tragic) history, culture and language of Poland on Saturday, Feb. 2, at Sacred Heart University's Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

Underwriting the event is the Polish Studies Fund, a long-standing endowment that was established by the late professor Francis Lachowicz, who taught at SHU from 1978 to 1995 in the department of modern foreign languages.

On the program are two Frederic Chopin songs for soprano and piano: the Largo from the Sonata for Piano and Cello, opus 65, and Ballade No. 4 for piano solo. Witold Lutoslawski's "Grave" for cello and piano (also known as "Metamorphosis") is scheduled, as are two songs for soprano and piano by composer/conductor Mieczysław Karłowicz.

Also featured will be Max Bruch's "Kol nidrei" for cello and piano, based on a declaration recited in synagogues on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; its name is taken from the opening words, meaning "all vows."

The evening will end with a selection of Jan Petersburski's tangos and waltzes, which were sung in the Warsaw Ghetto, reportedly the largest of all the segregated Jewish ghettos that the Nazis created in occupied Europe during World War II. (The war resulted in the civilian deaths of more than 5 million Poles, Jews and non-Jews).

"Such a concert gives us a perfect opportunity to be in touch with our heritage," pianist Baczewska said in a recent conversation. "It's a warm and beautiful thing -- like (enjoying) a home-cooked meal -- to do a concert like this. Actually, it will be an honor for us all."

The performers have all relocated from Poland to New York and New Jersey, said Baczewska, a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Polish Minister of Culture and laureate of the Award for Outstanding Polish Citizen Abroad.

Baczewska, born in Katowice, said she began piano instruction at age 5 and made her orchestral debut seven years later. A winner of international piano competitions, she has appeared on stages around the world as a soloist and in orchestral performances. She also has performed on radio shows in America and Europe and is a published music critic. She came to the United States more than a decade ago to study at Mannes College at The New School for Music in Manhattan.

Singer Ducka is a graduate of the Music Academy of Lodz, Poland, where she received a degree in vocal arts. As a singer-member of Polish Opera Theater, Ducka toured Europe, performing on many of the greatest stages in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Bedkowska-Reilly is an Enhanced Chancellor Fellow and a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. A recipient of a Fulbright Commission and Italian and Polish government scholarships, the cellist is an active chamber music performer who has performed in many of the grand concert halls in New York City and in Europe.

"The concert will present a whole spectrum of Polish music," Baczewska said, adding, "I think the audience will find it quite colorful."